IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolD9esZ5dO
Yukari croaked, “It’s okay.” She felt as if her skin was on fire. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her tears away.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1O2fkO6Vlk
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpzytSqMrd
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqXpKOXDZF
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjiawwkVk9
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FFW0ZaDVu
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLDtZDsGrM
IA started the car and continued driving as if nothing had happened. Yukari had gotten used to the speed at which she drove by now, but she remained on the lookout for speed limit signs and reminded IA of them whenever they passed one. IA slowed down a bit.
"Please don’t be upset when I ask this, but why do you drive so quickly?” Yukari asked.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatBJFCIcYM
IA chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m just always so excited to get to a different place that it kind of takes over me. If you weren’t here to bring me back to my senses, I don’t know what I’d do.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tJLBL4zZ9
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMTu9mVqgC
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcZxVIKT8h
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPRnhH2M5C
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9QVGOAPhX
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14135z6FMn
Yukari gulped. It was a pulp novel that appeared to be translated into Japanese. The cover had two women in lingerie, one brunette lying on a bed and the other, blonde, sitting behind her with a mischievous expression. In the corner of the room they were in was a table with a coat and a magnifying glass on it.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LWmTcYuxs
IA’s cheeks turned red. “Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s more than just love scenes. I wouldn’t show it to you if it was just that since, you know, that would be kind of weird. It’s a really intriguing mystery and has an interesting romance between the detective…” She pointed to the brunette. “... and the femme fatale she suspects is the murderer.” She moved her finger to the blonde. “It’s surprisingly good for a pulp novel, but the cover makes it a bit of a guilty pleasure. It has some more mature scenes but they’re not that often.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FU1qpjRwA
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kobWHxZPX
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw6CiN1phR
“Good.” IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as if she felt guilty about something. “If you feel uncomfortable reading it, you’re not obligated to read the rest. You can just return it to me and we can forget I ever lent it to you.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD35tE1bWWs
“I said it’s fine.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJtjhwBHfg
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQt7gok4p3
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFOvCD5ESx
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Gz1uG4TTn
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLarb1vKsIP
When she finally made it home, she had dinner with her family. After that, she put her pyjamas on, lied down in bed and stared at her ceiling. One question tugged at her mind.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2thnRhLS6
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBW7nXhNF3u
There was no age issue, at least in terms of the law, as IA was twenty-two and she was eighteen, but Yukari was still a student at the school IA worked at. Then again, it wasn’t like IA was her teacher or anything like that. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqLp8PIe76
She remembered what IA said.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMtYiuRFjK
"That was inappropriate of me.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBCQZJCj5D
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAn3QneDgb
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4mP5XPROA
She opened the book and began reading it. Some parts of the novel were awkwardly worded, possibly as a result of a bad translation, but the mystery was as engaging as IA said it would be. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkE53rXjIUg
When Yukari made it to the first love scene, her entire body went hot. Clunky wording aside, the scene was undeniably attractive to her, and she pictured IA as the blonde girl on the cover as she read the scene. Eventually, she dropped the book and fantasised on her own, the scenario in her mind getting more and more explicit.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9JkTPyVrk
When she was done fantasising, she continued reading until Roro’s frightened face entered her mind, convincing her to do homework. After that, she read a bit more until she went to sleep, which was around 11 or 12. It took around half an hour for her to fully fall asleep as the mystery of the novel consumed her mind.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtlJVLFB09
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZleevyptJE
She shoved the book in her school bag and did as her mother said. During class she kept getting distracted, trying to piece together the clues presented in the novel. She stared at Roro in the seat next to her. He looked back at her and frowned before turning his head and murmuring something she couldn’t hear. She felt her heart sink. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1wqONAsXe
When lunch started, she took her food with her to the library, saw the ‘no food’ sign and ran outside. She sat under a bridge from the classrooms to the club rooms and opened the book. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL9GAFsfFP
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatIekNaTVg
And then a teacher walked up to her. He was tall and had eyebrows so thick it felt as if he could crush someone with them. She hid the book behind her back and the teacher scowled at her.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMCdMgEbje
“Show me what you’ve got.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg0007wLgK
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdcp9hIGox
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcdGkrLk0a
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjHi6qwykd
“Nice try.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgQUBrEWdg
Yukari stood up, trying her best not to cry. She followed him to the Principal’s office, which was inhabited by a short man with a toupee. The teacher handed him the book and the Principal’s eyebrows jumped through the roof. Yukari lowered her head and bit her lip.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDBu4FbJI6
“This is… I’ve never seen a girl bring this sort of material to school before. I’m going to have to call your parents.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAX1R9RQE1
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2R3NAR84o
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ1oeCwSFS
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m13dPiuXx
“And you brought this book here because…”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsOubD5159
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSqGyXqgNA
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zcwmkcgeg
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pP7QsekdH
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4K12xFrecT
“For how long?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ9BNfhB83
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiWPNUTKAw
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMd479Z3Ug
“Well, since this is your first offence, I guess I can give it back at the end of the week.” He ran his thumb against the cover. “Yes, a week should do. You’ll have learnt your lesson by then. I’m still going to have to call your parents. Come here after school for a meeting. And if you try to leave school before then, I think this book will look nice on my shelf.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkeQjzjpJC
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2si2kcwl52
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LaK2huNiY
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PpMPhS8VL
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSboEWtNo7
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFn1nr6nQLZ
“I… I see. The one who should really be sorry is me. Giving you that book… how inappropriate of me. Should I… stop giving you these books? I went too far. I knew this was a bad idea.” Yukari noticed that there were bags under IA’s eyes. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqxATSptmP
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4VU4Iqcri
“It’s okay. I… I don’t want to end the time we’ve spent together. I do hav something to tell you, though. Hopefully it won’t end… whatever it is we have.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DPuc9VMKT
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYcJjHIhkn
“I know what you’re going to say.” She and Yukari spoke at the same time. “You’re straight and feel weirded out by me giving you these books.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj39y8cXQiw
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSehGMtMlS
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxu4zY2DQM
“Could you… repeat that?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltjacuIw5x
Yukari’s cheeks went pink. “Well, I like you. You know that breakup with Roro? It was because I liked you more. You kind of made realise that I’m bisexual. I was thinking… maybe we could go out somewhere. I get it if you don’t want to! You probably want to keep your job. But we could keep it a secret if you want. But, you know, if you don’t want to… that’s cool… I’ll act cool as a cucumber. Cool as ice. Cool as… What am I saying?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedBZoZva5Q
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjSpr4VBLp
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KVU8eEGGS
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDPcOtKMvi
“I-Is that a yes?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbVC0JgQIH
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAVCI9KBMu
Yukari chuckled. “So long as I don’t do anything as stupid as bringing a dirty book to school, I’ll be fine. By the way, please don’t spoil the ending. I didn’t get to finish it.” She released a short gasp. “Wait, can I tell Roro if he starts talking to me again? He already knows I like you and I know he won’t tell anyone.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWhcwsRPVP
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16UIAtkMsd
Yukari eyes widened. “Oh god, my parents. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow since my parents are probably going to drag me home after this meeting. Thanks for reminding me.” Both her body and her voice shuddered as she shook her head like a dog trying to rid its fur of water after a bath.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiC53E3f7G
IA took several books off the shelf and made a pile of them, giving them to Yukari, who stared at her with one eyebrow higher than the other.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmVEKvVAf8
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44DqjIieoj
Yukari nodded with a smile. She turned towards the door and breathed slowly. She took a few moments to appreciate the moment she shared with IA before having to deal with her parents. For a few more seconds it was just her and the ghostlike librarian who became her girlfriend.
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